From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

Mt.

And so on that third day, the first day of the week, we find the women going where?

tells us:

Luke 24:1 CSB

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.

Now, as we all know, tombs are made to house dead things - not the living. I don’t know too many people who would seriously consider purchasing a tomb for their next summer vacation home! We’d think it was just a little strange. Tomb’s are for dead things - not the living. In fact, during Jesus’ time, they’d whitewash the tombs so people wouldn’t accidentally make a mistake and stumble into a tomb looking for shelter during Passover.

So why are these ladies going to the tomb? The answer is found in our verse where it says they were ‘taking the spices that they had prepared.” Why? Because dead things smell really bad! I was reminded of this about a year ago when I walked in to church one Sunday Morning to discover that something had died somewhere in the church…near the front entrance. So what did we do? We pulled out our “spices” of Fabreeze air fresheners, Lysol spray, and the Sentsy pot. But no matter how much we sprayed, eventually the odor would become stronger than what we were spraying and would overtake and fill the back of the sanctuary. Dead things smell really bad. So bad that they rolled a stone over the entrance of the tomb to keep not only unwanted intruders from entering but unwanted odors from exiting.

But why then are the women going to the tomb? Jesus is dead - dead things are placed in tombs. and they are bringing spices because dead things smell really bad!

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Now read again : From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that…He won’t be in the tomb! He must be killed, but on the third day, be raised to life!

Now before we chide the women for their lack of faith here, we must remind ourselves that like the women, we too have recieved a promise.

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

2 Cor

The old has passed away…they are dead and belong in a tomb...

Romans

Romans 6:11 CSB

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Yet sometimes these promises go in one ear and out the other in us too.

And so back into the tomb we go, along with the women. And when we get there, what do we find? Here lies old anger. Over there lies bitterness and envy and strife. Over here lies the secret dark thoughts and deeds of the flesh. What has been put to death is flesh. Galatians tells us:

Galatians 5:17–21 CSB

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

And if we have been away from the risen Lord for awhile we know one thing for sure. Dead things smell really bad. But we’ve brought our spices. The spice of ‘they deserve my angry words’. the spice of ‘this thought, this action, won’t hurt my walk with God.’ And we sprinkle it all over the dead. And you know, for a time, it does smell better.

I noticed that after I stayed in the church sanctuary that day with the dead something. After a while, I kinda got used to the smell. After a while I didn’t I hardly noticed it at all. Why? Because our sense of smell becomes desensitized. (this is what keeps pig farmers in buisness) But says: “on the third day I will be raised to life.”

Romans 6:11 CSB

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Lets continue Luke’s account: when the women came to the tomb:

Luke 24:2 CSB

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

Luke Now when the women came to the tomb the stone was rolled away. But they discovered an amazing thing.

But they discovered an amazing thing.

Luke 24:3 CSB

They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

He is not there! well I wonder why? because He is alive! He has defeated once and for all sin and death, including all the deeds and power of the flesh.

When we are back crawling around the tomb of anger, jealousy, lustful thoughts, are we surprised that Jesus seems so far away too? And so two angels come into our story in Luke in vs. 4-8:

Luke 24:4–8 CSB

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’And they remembered his words.

Don’t you remember? On the third day He will be raised again! On this basis, Paul tells us we are to live resurrected lives too! Read

Romans 6:4–11 CSB

Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

He’s alive! And if you have taken him as savior, so are you! Let us not just remember his resurrection this Easter morning, Let’s live like it!